Eggs fly in Ukrainian Parliament

KIEV, Ukraine, April 29 (UPI) -- Eggs were hurled during a rowdy Ukrainian parliamentary debate during the ratification of a Russian-Ukrainian naval base deal, an official said.

Parliamentary Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn said Thursday in Kiev the Ukrainian deputies who threw eggs at him and engaged in fistfights in the chamber will be required to pay for any damage, although, he said, "The moral and political damage cannot be compensated for," RIA Novosti reported.

Lytvyn said the chamber suffered much damage, including voting equipment vandalism.

Several deputies sought medical help after the debate, Lytvyn said, declining to provide further details.

The controversy was over a deal signed April 21 that extends the lease on the Russian base in the port of Sevastopol for 25 years after the 2017 expiration of the current lease, which may then be extended by another five years. Ukraine signed the deal to secure a 30-percent discount for Russian natural gas.